WCs are wasting around 4bn litres of water per year, UWLA’s representatives said on World Toilet Day.
Yvonne Orgill, UWLA’s managing director, said: “World Toilet Day is held every year on 19 November and has been an annual United Nations Observance since 2013. Whilst World Toilet Day aims to raise awareness of the 3.6 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation, it is a good time to highlight, that in the UK alone, we waste at least 35m litres of water every year, and as much as 4bn litres across Europe by using old and inefficient flush systems.
“We know from research undertaken in the UK into the merits of a bathroom scrappage scheme that updating homes with a modern WC could immediately make this huge saving in water usage.
“Toilet flushing accounts for 1/4 of water used in the home today, and with modern dual flush models using as little as 2.6 and 4 litres per flush, it is one of the easiest ways to save water in the home. Dual-flush cisterns let the user choose how much water to use when flushing the toilet, so with better education, there is potential to influence behaviour and save even more.
“We want to raise awareness on this World Toilet Day to encourage people to look at their old WC and consider replacing it. By using a lower volume of water to flush the toilet we can dramatically reduce annual water consumption and contribute to the protection of this valuable natural resource.”